Name ____________________________________
Date _______________
Hummingbird Habitat and the Seasons
Chains of Connections
—Teacher Example—
Students may know that sunlight makes plants grow, that hummingbirds eat
nectar and insects, or that snow melts in the spring. But have they thought about
the cause-and-effect relationships that drive these events each spring? Have
they grasped the fact that these changes are all triggered by longer hours of
more intense sunlight?
When students draw these “cause and effect” chains early in the season, they
reveal their current thinking and understanding. By revisiting these throughout
the season (or creating new ones), you and they can see how their thinking has
changed.
Here we share some sample chains. (Real ecosystems are more complex. If
students are able, prompt them to think about ways in which “links” in the chain
interact to form webs.)
Tree leaves can
protect
hummingbird
nests and young
from predators.
Longer and
stronger sunlight
in spring.
Ice thaws;
Soil and air
warms.
Rain, warmth,
sunlight helps
plants make food
and grow.
Insects hatch.
Plant flowers
bloom and
produce nectar.
Hummingbirds
feed on insects
and nectar.